What do we picture when we hear the term ‘bathroom’? Normally we get images of a shower, toilet, toiletries like shampoos, soaps etc. As per the definition, bathroom is considered to be a place at our homes that is mainly used for personal hygiene activities which generally consists of a wash basin, a bathtub/shower etc. In several countries toilet is also included as a part of the bathroom but in some countries toilet is built as a separate entity next to the bathroom. Historically, the existence of bathrooms dates back as far as 3000 BC during which water was solely considered as a cleansing agent. The best known example of well-structured bathrooms can be found at the site of advanced civilization known as Indus valley/Harappa civilization. This clearly gives us a glimpse of how personal hygiene found its place in the day today lives of our ancestors. Another classic example where we can witness some of the well maintained bathrooms are during the times of Greek and Roman civilization, where the bathrooms were shaped like huge pools or octagonal bathing structures.
In Australia, with the advent of Europeans as early as 17th century, there came the bathroom styling that was followed by the Europeans mainly English styled bathrooms. Originally “tin Baths” were quiet popular in many parts of Australia. It was a simple structure as easy to maintain wherein one would keep the water to boil and keep filling the tin bath with it and repeat this process once the water was empty. Gradually with the development of sophisticated drainage and sewer systems, there was a gradual renovation in the structure of bathrooms and bathroom vanities across Australia as we can see it today.
The bathrooms of today have become a place not just for taking shower but a place to get ready to our workplace every day or otherwise. So keeping this in mind the designs of today’s bathroom have changed dramatically as compared to the ones that existed few centuries ago. There are 2 main departments that majorly impact today’s bathroom style and design and they are: 1) Plumbing, 2) Lighting and Electricity.
Water which is a basic entity of bathrooms need to be handled very efficiently and this is where plumbing expertise comes into picture which handles the inlet and outlet of water in and out of bathrooms. In addition to this the plumber is also responsible to ensure that the water does not cause slippery surface in the bathrooms that may lead to accidents. Lighting and electricity is another department that is as critical as plumbing in today’s modern multifunctional bathroom designs. Most of the homes require running hot and cold water supplied to the bathrooms and they also need good lighting so these are generally taken care by electricians who ensures that bathrooms are properly lit and are supplied with hot and cold water along with making sure that all the safety measures are met and there is no room for hazards such as electric shocks etc.
Some of the parameters that needs to be considered for renovations of bathroom vanities or constructing bathrooms from scratch are: Getting the right size of bathroom/flooring area, type of bathroom vanities such as sinks and their materials, different mounting options that suit your needs and style etc. Some of the popular bathroom vanities that are currently trending in Sydney, Australia are:
- Sink/Wash Basin vanities: Sink can be either a single one or a double sink. Single sink would be ideal for studio apartment whereas a double sink would be suitable for a villa or a slightly larger home with more number of occupants.
- Traditional/Antique Furniture vanity: This type of furniture can be found in many of the homes in Sydney that are slightly older usually dating back to early 1900’s. This furniture generally include cupboard with multiple racks and cabinets made up of teak or Mahoney wood and come with subdued color schemes.
- Modern Furniture vanity: These kind of furniture mainly come with a mix of shades and colors along with smooth well finished textures that are very attractive, they are slightly light weight as compared to the traditional counterparts. These types of bathroom vanities can be found mostly in the modern homes of Sydney and other parts of Australia.
- Mounting Options: One should be very careful in choosing the mounting options for sinks or furniture in the bathroom as the mounting style can uplift or downgrade the look and feel of the bathroom. Few of the common mounting styles for bathroom vanities found in various homes of Sydney are freestyle mounting, corner mounting and shop wall mounting.
The above provided options are some of the popular bathroom vanity options that can be found today in Sydney and other cities of Australia. But ultimately it all depends on one’s creativity, need and styling as to how exactly the bathroom’s structure, look and feel should be that best suits his/her purpose.